I was just doing the Feministe map of “strong geography,” where you mark a place that makes you feel strong, and I picked the bar in Cork where I came out to myself as a lesbian (as opposed to bisexual). Then I noticed that not too far from there is a street I never went to called “Dyke Parade.” Oh, this needs to be done.

I didn’t want to say anything until it was official because I’m superstitious about some things, but I’ve booked my ticket and hotel room so I think I can announce it. I’ll be presenting a paper in March at the Global Arc of Justice: Sexual Orientation Law Around the World conference, hosted by the Williams Institute of UCLA law school and the International Lesbian and Gay Law Association, in Los Angeles! I’ve known that I was probably going for a month, but now that funding for 3/4 of the trip came through and I was able to book the flight, I have an ear-splitting grin on my face. It will be amazing academically, with several of my favorite scholars, and professionally, with several people from the NGOs at which I’d most like to work in attendance, and also I have to admit that it’s pretty cool to be in West Hollywood for three nights. I’ve never been a big LA person, though I went to San Francisco once when I was 14 and loved it, but I keep thinking about the L-Word and laughing to myself. It’s like a fantasy trip. If anyone reading has academic experience, I would love some advice. I know nothing about presenting a paper: for example, do you tend to stick with laying out the paper’s argument or do you extrapolate and give interesting facts with just your core argument as a teaser for people to read the paper? I don’t know if/when this will be published, so a teaser seems a bit silly, though maybe this will be a jumping-off point to publication. Also, PowerPoint or index cards? Any other tips? I’d love to hear them.

Or something like that. I’ll be in Sioux Falls with the ACLU, canvassing and doing other exciting stuff. It’s the first pro-choice thing I’ve done since working with the Emma Goldman Clinic on Medicaid reform. If you’re interested in financial access to abortion, you might check out this post on “Contraceptive Choice and Class.” And then there’s this quick hit from Feministe, which mentions an 8th circuit decision on abortion in SD, as well as addressing the argument that abortion is necessarily harmful. See you on the flip side!